I don't own Smallville, nor am I making any money off this story. It's strictly for entertainment.

New Beginnings

I had been doing a lot of thinking lately, thinking about almost everything. I knew I was different, I also knew that I wasn't the only one that was different. Sure, it was never talked about, but you could see the differences in some of the kids my age. We all knew it had to do with the meteor rocks that had fallen out of the sky years ago. Not everyone was affected though – Lana Lang for one. I think that was part of what sparked my curiosity about her. But I'm getting off subject here.

I had been trying to find a convincing argument for getting my dad to let me join the football team. I should have saved my breath in the end. Not even the articles on the world's fastest run time or the fact that a kid lifted a vehicle off their injured parent swayed him. No, the real reason I wasn't allowed to play football was that Jonathan Kent did not trust me. Sure he made all the right noises about trusting me, but it came down to the fact that he didn't – not deep down in his heart. It was always the same line, "What if there was an accident, Clark?"

It was always about hiding my strength and speed. Sure, it was okay to use it around the farm, even called upon most days, but not in public . . . and never talked about. So therefore, I had learned to hide other things from my adoptive parents, one example is my intelligence. They had so much to worry about already; I couldn't bear having them worry about stunting my intellectual development as well, so I played dumber than I am. I'd like to think that I pull off "hick farm boy" pretty well. I had always known I wasn't normal – it was drilled into me from the time I could understand the meaning of normal and abnormal. So yeah, I've kind of developed a fascination with normal. And yes, that brings us back to Lana Lang.

The girl who seems to have it all – except for the parents who died in the meteor crash of course. Crass, yes, but true. While we live next door to each other, we have never been close. You could probably lay the blame for that on the green rock she wears around her neck. Strange to think that she would want to wear a piece of the meteor that killed her parents as a necklace, but who am I to judge? No, Lana Lang is like a puzzle to figure out. Okay, not a very complex puzzle, but still a puzzle. Sometimes I wonder if she is just smoke and mirrors, or if she actually thinks of herself as a fairy princess and the center of the universe? Alright, enough about her; I have more important things to be thinking about.

So, in a roundabout way, I am back to what I was originally thinking about – my differences and the green meteor rock. I've noticed that I have been getting faster and stronger lately. I also noticed that the green meteor rock has been affecting me more than usual. It used to make me feel slightly nauseous, but today I felt a new level of nausea and pain. I had become incapacitated by that tiny piece of rock around Lana's neck, so much that I couldn't move away from her. During my first period class, my mind had been spinning around trying to remember the last time I had felt so ill. To my concern, I had come to realize that it had been years ago that I had been injured or sick. It seems as the closer my body gets to maturity, the stronger my uniqueness becomes.

Maybe my dad was right, in a sense, to be concerned over my playing football. If my body is changing, I have to learn my new strengths and change how I interact with others around me accordingly. I understand, but it still pains me that he doesn't trust me. I feel that he might never trust me . . .

My thoughts broke off as I heard the squeal of tires on pavement. I turned around, only to be met with the sight of a silver Porsche heading straight for me and the rail of the bridge I was standing on. My eyes met those of a frantic man behind the wheel – blue locked on to stormy blue-grey. The only thought that ran through my mind before I felt the impact of the car was that I was sorry I wouldn't get a chance to meet the man with the passionate eyes and learn his secrets.

The force of my body hitting the freezing cold water took my breath away; the temperature was nothing compared to that initial impact. I quickly realized that by some quirk of fate I was still alive and had a chance to save the unconscious man with the stormy eyes. I thought quickly between pulling the roof off the Porsche or breaking the window. One would be a dead giveaway that I was not normal, and the other might cause even more injury. It wasn't even really a decision – the roof it was. Unless 'stormy eyes' became an amnesiac, my secret was out. I quickly pulled the roof up on the driver's side and pulled the unconscious man out of the car.

I quickly swam toward the surface, breaking it with one arm around the stranger. I was quick to lay him on his back and perform CPR to help him expel the lake water from his lungs. My breath caught as he opened his eyes; they were even more dramatic seen up close and not through a windshield. I visually inspected his body and only found a small gash under his left eye.

He looked up at me, his expression puzzled, "I could have sworn I hit you."

I looked at him and then behind me up at the destroyed bridge railing. I took a shaky breath before spilling my secret, "You did."

He pushed up on his left elbow, his black jacket gaping open over a soft, grey shirt. He eyes examined my face, searching for what, I knew not. I helped him sit upright slowly and inspected the still bleeding gash under his eye. "If you stick around here long enough, you'll find that not everything is as it seems here in Smallville. This cut isn't too deep and shouldn't scar. Football practice is almost over so someone will be driving by soon enough to call for help." I looked into his eyes, fascinated with the specks of grey within blue, "Other than a headache and your chest, do you hurt anywhere else?"

He shook his head slowly after a moment of self-inspection. "You seem to have very accurate diagnostic skills, Dr. You nailed it on the head."

I gave a short chuckle, "No, I'm just very observant at times. Other times, I willfully ignore those things that I wish to." I held out my hand to him in greeting, "Clark Kent, at your service."

His lips quirked up into a slow grin, his eyes shining with mirth, "Lex Luthor, happy to be served."

I held back the gasp that threatened to cross my lips as his black leather gloved hand found its way into mine. It felt right, like nothing I have ever experienced before. I knew right then and there that there was no way I was going to let Lex Luthor slip out of my life, even if I had to follow him to the ends of the earth. "So, Lex Luthor, man of the hour, are you staying in Smallville long?"

He gave a slight nod, "I have been banished from the big city by my evil father to oversee the fertilizer factory on the edge of town." His lips quirked up into a smile, his eyes alight with laughter, "Mighty meteor mutant, is there any way you can save me from my fate and evil father?"

I laughed at his humorous tone and smile, "Nope, only one rescue per day, otherwise I have to charge an absorbent fee." I let the smile slip off my face before I grew serious, "You don't mind the fact that I'm different – a mutant?"

He laughed and ran a hand over his bald head. "That would make me a hypocrite Clark, I was out in the field at the fertilizer plant when they hit. I lost my hair and my childhood asthma as a result. No, I don't mind that you're different, least of all that your differences saved my life today."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. Someone finally knew my secret, besides my parents, and accepted who I am. We both turned as we heard an oncoming car. It was Mr. Forrester from down the road, probably headed into town for groceries. He yelled down to us, asking if we were alright before heading back toward his nearby house and calling the local rescue number and my dad.

I turned to Lex as Mr. Forrester left, "Just so you are forewarned, my father has a passionate hatred for all things Luthor."

Lex shrugged one shoulder, "It seems to be part of being a Luthor, Clark. The sins of the father rest on the shoulders of the son. It will be fine as long as you don't buy into the rumor mill. Besides, I bet he'll hate me even more when I decide on how to repay you for this afternoon."

I couldn't help but laugh. I caught his eyes gazing at me in amusement and partial wonder, "Oh my dad would be bullish for a week or more. But seriously, you don't have to pay me back for anything. I just did what anyone would do if given the opportunity."

Lex shook his head, "Clark, that was your big opportunity to ask for the stars and you blew it. Now I think I'll just have to send you a gift card for the local hardware shop and make you deal with your dad's pout."

I couldn't help but laugh at his humor, "Lex, why settle for the stars when I can have more?"

His right eyebrow rose and his lips quirked, "Higher than the stars? Do tell."

I shook my head slightly, "It should be obvious Lex. The one thing higher than the stars is your friendship. Just you – Lex – not Luthor." I raised my hand and motioned between us, "Right now you're Lex, but earlier with Mr. Forrester, you were Lex Luthor. I want to get to know you and not the façade you show to the world. Are you able to give me that?"

Lex's eyes met mine, gazing for a moment, searching for something. He nodded once and smiled before holding out his hand again, "Friends. We'll be the stuff of legends Clark – you and I."

I took his hand in mine again, the feeling of rightness stronger than before. "Friends, Lex."

The moment was shattered with the arrival of the EMTs. We both watched them hurry down the bank burdened down with field kits and blankets. I hadn't realized how cold Lex must be until I caught sight of the bright red fleece. My own body seemed to generate enough heat that I was hardly ever cold. I glanced over at Lex, who had donned his Luthor façade, as the medics examined us both. They pulled out the dreaded pen lights to check our pupil reaction and search for any signs of concussion. I had the urge to make a joke about saving me from the light, but I held it back – he was being a Luthor and not Lex right now. Shortly after they were done, I heard the frantic sound of my dad calling my name.

I gave a quick wink towards Lex before I turned toward my frantic dad. "Dad, I'm over here." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lex delve deeper into his façade, pulling it around him like a security blanket. I felt I understood him, that I had a glimpse into the real Lex Luthor. I watched as my dad scrambled sown the slope of the bank.

Dad ran up to me, placed both his hands on my shoulder and gave me a once over, "Are you okay?"

I nodded, my throat tightening at what I knew was inevitable.

His eyes tightened in anger, his hands tightened briefly before releasing my shoulders. He spun around quickly, looking for the culprit; looking for Lex. "Who's the maniac driving that car?"

I watched as Lex took a shallow breath before striding over to my dad, his business persona in place despite the red blanket wrapped around his shoulders, "Mr. Kent that would be me, Lex Luthor." The hand he held out was steady and strong.

The lump in my throat grew larger as I watched my dad look at Lex with contempt, ignoring his outstretched hand.

I watched as my dad's movements grew rougher, quicker with anger and contempt, all directed toward Lex. My adopted grandmother's teachings would never have let my dad be so rude directly. In fact, she would probably be turning over in her grave if she knew of the deep seated hatred dad held for all things Luthor. Even though I understood where his hatred comes from, I don't agree with him. He practically ripped his jacket off and slung it over my shoulders, bent on ignoring Lex and the apology he offered.

He helped me stand up and started to walk away from Lex, before turning and snarling, "Drive more carefully next time!" I looked over my shoulder at Lex as my dad marched me away. I gave him a small empathetic smile before turning my focus back onto my dad's ranting of all things Luthor.

~*~LC~*~

After we got home, my dad went to go fume, using work as an excuse to do it in private. I let him have his time alone while I gathered my thoughts together over milk, cookies, and my mother's quiet hovering. Sure, I knew there were plenty of mutants in Smallville, each with different "powers." The question was, was I the biggest freak of them all?

I could tell mom was worried about dad and I. She kept shooting glances out the window to the shredder were dad was working. I gave her a small smile, ate the last of my cookies and milk, and pushed away from the table to deal with my dad. He could sulk all week if mom or I didn't do anything.

The screech of the shredder assaulted my hearing as soon as I opened the door. Mmm, that seemed to be changing slightly as well – just another thing to keep an eye on. I slowly walked over to my dad, giving him time to pull himself together. He was always one to be quick with anger, but not always quick to let it go. He could be as obstinate as a pig at times. I knew they both worried about me, so I gave in to them most times, but I wasn't about to give in to the matter of Lex Luthor.

"Dad, it wasn't totally his fault. Yes, he was speeding, but then most of the kids in school speed down that road. There was a bale of wire that fell off the truck in front of him, dad. Anyone would have been hard pressed to avoid that and stop before hitting the bridge."

Dad turned toward me, his hands clenched, "You could have been killed Clark! He was driving way too fast for that road. Any normal person would have died from that impact!"

I nodded, my insecurities about my powers, and the need to be normal welling up in me, "Yeah dad, anyone else would have been killed. But he hit me going 60 miles per hour and I survived. Does that sound normal to you? I'd give anything to be normal, you know that. I can't even play on the local football team because I'm different." I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down before continuing, "I just don't want you to pin this all on Lex – he wasn't the only one to blame in this."

Dad sputtered and growled, "You're standing up for that no good Luthor? You know what that family has down to our town Clark!"

I shook my head at him, "Yeah Dad, Lionel made a business offer, a legitimate business offer to the Ross family for their land. Not everyone is meant to be farmers Dad, and they knew what they were doing. This world can't be made up wholly of farms, there has to be a balance."

"I just can't let it go Clark – he took away the land, land that had been farmed on for centuries."

I shook my head and gave him a shrug, "Lex isn't his dad just like I'm not you." I turned and headed up to the loft, my fortress of solitude, to think about today. I made myself comfortable and watched the sun's slow path across the sky. I truly understood why my dad felt the way he does – sometimes the land just seeps into people's bones and stays there. My dad was one of them, forever one with his land. It would break his heart if we ever lost the farm, one of the reasons I didn't mind doing the majority of the chores around the place. After all, my dad is normal while I am not. Yes, I would give almost anything to be normal . . . and then I realized, being abnormal is what saved Lex's life today, not just my own. It had taken long enough for Mr. Forrester to happen upon us that Lex would have probably drowned in his car long before help arrived. I suppressed the shudder that wanted to let loose down my spine. Maybe being normal isn't all it's cracked up to be. I turned as I heard my Dad start up the stairs. He carried a cloth wrapped object in his hands.

"Clark, I think it's time I told you the truth." He gave a sigh and sat down next to me. As he unwrapped the object in his hand, the light from the setting sun played across it, drawing my gaze to its unearthly design.

"Your mom and I have kept this secret from you, but you need to know where you come from." He turned the shiny metal object towards me, allowing me to see the characters engraved across its surface. "You know that we adopted you the day of the meteor shower, but what you don't know is that you arrived here on Earth on that day. Your Mom and I found this and your ship, not far from where you found us."

I shook my head, feeling numb, my thoughts jagged spears in my head. "I came down with the meteor shower? I caused the meteor shower? I'm an alien?"

Dad nodded, his face grim, "Yes Clark, you came from another planet."

I shook with fury, the numbness washed away in grief and anger. "Why? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Why had he kept this secret from me? After all the lectures on truth and honesty, it seems my parents had been lying to me my whole life.

Dad swallowed, his eyes pained, "We wanted to protect you; we wanted you to live a normal life."

I closed my eyes briefly, welcomed the rage so that it would burn up the grief that threatened to immobilize me. I shook my head and opened my eyes, locking onto my father's gaze. "I am never going to be normal. I can't believe you held this from me for so long. I need to . . . think." With that last word spoken, I sped off down the stairs, out the barn, and across fields. I already knew where I was headed and prayed that Lex would be there.

I made sure to slow down and stop just before I came into view of the castle. While we never talked about visiting, we did agree on being friends. I just hope that Lex would let me in and listen to me. The thought of all the people I brought grief or injury to threatened to weigh me down. I stumbled toward the black wrought iron gate that stood across the drive to the castle and pushed the call button.

A clear, deep voice answered, "Yes, how may I help you?"

I looked up into the camera attached to the gate, "I'm Clark Kent, here to see Lex." I gave a small sigh of relief as the gate swung open on well-oiled hinges.

"Come up to the door, someone will greet you," came the reply from the call box.

I used the walk to calm myself down and organize my thoughts. I let my eyes wander over the front of the castle, briefly wondering which room Lex would be in. As I reached the front door, it was opened silently and a dark-haired manservant greeted me, "Welcome, Master Clark." I pushed away my surprise at the greeting, they had probably heard how I had saved Lex's life, after all, small town news travels fast. I found myself being ushered into a large open room with beautiful stained glass windows, the sun turning the purple, blue, and red alive with molten fiery light. I barely had time to look around the room before Lex came in behind me.

"Clark, how are you?" His voice was warm and welcoming.

I turned around to face him and my eyes were drawn to the small cut under his right eye. I had thought that I had pulled myself together but the sight of Lex injured ripped away my control. I reached out with a shaky hand, "Lex . . . I'm sorry." I let my hand drop before my fingers touched the small cut. I felt I was responsible for all the suffering he had been through from the meteor shower. If it wasn't for me, he would never have lost his hair, never have been traumatized over being caught in the center of the meteor shower. I knew all those who had been affected, between the news articles and Chloe Sullivan's fascination with all things weird.

I took a step back as Lex advanced, his pace steady and strong, his expression full of concern. He reached out for me, and I knew I should have evaded his grasp, but I caved into the need to feel loved and accepted and I allowed his hand to curl around my wrist and pull me gently forward, almost into his embrace.

His voice was low, concerned, "Clark, you were fine a few hours ago. What happened between now and then?"

I bit my lower lip and bowed my head, unwilling to see disappointment well into his stormy eyes, "I found out I'm not really a meteor mutant." I took a few deep breaths before continuing, the weight of his grasp on my wrist giving me the strength to continue, "Dad," I choked on that word and quickly swallowed, "Jonathan told me that they found me the day of the meteor shower. . . they found me and my spaceship."

I felt his gentle fingers lift my chin up, my eyes met his, and I was nearly brought to my knees. Acceptance, true unconditional acceptance was radiating out of those stormy grey eyes.

"Clark, I knew you were special since I set my eyes upon you. Nothing's changed – you're still you."

I felt a few tears gather at the corners of my eyes, I forced myself to voice what I dreaded the most, "But Lex, the meteor shower . . ." I felt my breath hitch, my throat tightened into a painful lump. "I was the cause of it . . . I am the reason so many people suffered that day." I could barely get out the rest, I was barely breathing my throat was so tight; "I was the cause of your suffering that day."

Lex pulled me into his arms and held me tight, his head resting on top of my bowed head. He rubbed smoothing circles into the small of my back and murmured that everything was okay. As I felt my breathing return to normal and my throat relax I let myself be held by this amazing man who showed me unconditional acceptance. This man who knew my worst secrets and still believed in me.

Lex pulled back slowly, his touch gentle as his hands slid from my back to my sides and then down to my hands. "You weren't the cause Clark. You were only a child at the time. If anyone is to blame, it is those who placed you into that space ship and sent you here. And really, if you hadn't come here, then we would have lost both the good and the bad."

I listened to him and let the truthfulness of his words seep into my heart and heal my wounded emotions. I slowly let go of the grief, the pain . . . the guilt.

He raised a hand and wiped the tears from my face. "Sure, people lost loved ones, and I'm sure not all mutations were good, but you can't just ignore all the good that came out of that day. The town came together and supported everyone – it drew you all closer. My asthma was corrected; in fact, my whole immune system was improved. And the most important thing is that you came to us, Clark. You have such a large heart in you, full of love, truth, justice, that I know you are meant to do great things." He flicked my nose and smiled at me, his eyes full of mirth, "Besides, I already knew we were going to be the stuff of legends, Clark, and what better start than knowing you come from another planet?"

I threw my head back and laughed, my heart felt light and free. I had finally let go of all the guilt that had weighed me down since my father had divulged his secret to me. "Of course Lex, we'll be the stuff of legends."